It's TrulyFantasmagorical!
by Genevievey
Summary: [Chitty Chitty Bang Bang] We all know the story. But what was behind the tale Mr. Potts told his children at the seaside?


**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **I'm sure you're all aware that I do not own any of the characters, lyrics or dialogue from _Chitty Chitty Bang Bang_. I just love the movie, so I'm having a little fun with them. Special thanks to Beth, my more-than-spectacular Official Editor/Beta.

**It's Truly...Fantasmagorical!**

"Vrrrmmm! Vrrrmmmmm!"  
"Hang on, we're coming to a bend!"  
"You're going too fast!"  
"No, I'm not. Hang on!"  
The broken down motorcar that Jeremy and Jemima were 'racing' may have looked dormant, but if she could've, she would've revved her engine with excitement. Having these two children play in her finally made her feel like a motorcar again, not just scrap metal.  
"What's this heap of old iron doing here?"  
"Old iron?!"  
"I'll give you 10 bob for it."  
"Don't be daft! This was once a great car. Won the Grand Prix 3 years runnin'."  
"So it's a car, is it?"  
"Certainly it's a car!"  
"It's a racing car."  
"And we're winning."  
"And you're in the way."

The children's defence of her warmed the vehicle's very motor. From past experience, she was a lot fonder of children than she was of adults. Grown-ups tended to be all about business, and too busy to play, and sometimes they were horrible like that awful junk man with his greasy hair.

"And you're in the way for a right belt round the ear young man, if I have any more of your lip. Alright, I'll give ya 15 bob fer it."  
"Make it 35 and she's yours."

The vehicle began to feel cold in the depth of her engine, even with Jeremy grasping her steering-wheel tight. This junk man wasn't just a grumpy grown-up, he was a nasty grumpy grown-up, which was several times worse. The thought of being taken away from Jeremy and Jemima by that horrid junk man made her tyres deflate.

"But you can't take her away!"  
"She's not just any old car, she's ours!"  
"Not any more she ain't!"  
"But what are you going to do with her?"  
"I'll tell ya what we're going to do with her; we're gonna put her in the clapper, we're gonna crunch her up 'til she's one solid piece of metal, then we're gonna put her in the fiery furnace and we're gonna melt her down 'til she's liquid iron. That's what we're gonna do with her."  
The old motorcar had never heard of anything so barbaric in her long life, and the idea that such treatment could be her fate made her shiver.  
"Now look what you've done! You've frightened her."  
"She shivered."  
"See, she's a very special car."  
"If you put her in the fiery furnace, you'll be guilty of murder."  
"Yeah, and if you don't get out of it, I'll be guilty of two more murders!"

As the junkman drove away in his cart, the motorcar hoped she'd never see that horrid old man again. When Jeremy and Jemima suggested their Daddy could buy her, she felt hope rising in her engine for the first time since the junkman arrived. But even the old motorcar knew that 30 shillings was a lot of money, and the Potts children didn't seem to be very rich. It all depended on Mr. Potts, she decided. She had never met Mr. Potts, but surely if he was the father of these sweet children he must be a good man. She hoped so. Oh, did she hope so.

* * *

Truly Scrumptious was fuming as her beloved yellow motorcar bounced down the hill away from that silly windmill house and that incorrigible, irresponsible, delinquent Mr. Potts. _If I never see that man again it will be much too soon…_

* * *

Jeremy was playing with his toy soldiers. He looked across the room at his sister, who was unusually silent. "Isn't Truly wonderful?"  
The little girl looked up, with a smile. "Oh yes, she's just lovely."  
Jemima fell silent once more, gazing down at the doll in her hands. She loved her doll. She was a pretty doll. Truly was very pretty. Truly was like a beautiful life-sized doll, but even better, because she could talk and laugh and drive a motorcar.

Jemima sighed, playing with her doll's skirt. She took her doll to bed with her every night. And when she got lonely in the middle of night, she hugged the doll tight and imagined she could feel her hugging her back. Jemima was mostly a happy little girl, but she did get lonely sometimes. She loved her Daddy and her Grandpa and her brother very very much, but sometimes she didn't like being the only girl the family. Jemima missed her mother, even though she couldn't remember her at all. But she knew she must have been wonderful. Wonderful and beautiful and sweet.

Jemima had limited experience of mothers, the ones she'd read about in storybooks or seen walking through town, but she had a vague idea that mothers were supposed to be kind and sensible and sweet. Just like Truly.

Nobody could ever replace her mother, Jemima knew that. But if she couldn't have her real mother, couldn't she have another lovely woman to care for her? There was a gap, and it needed to be filled. Maybe, just maybe, Truly could be the one to fill that gap. The little girl sighed, leaning back against the wall and hugging the doll to her chest. Wouldn't it be lovely if Daddy and Truly were married, and Truly could be their mother? And they could do each other's hair and make daisy-chains together and play. _Yes_, Jemima decided. _Daddy and Truly should get married._

The door banged open. "Confounded woman!"

* * *

Caractacus sighed as he closed the door gently on his children's bedroom. He hated to let anyone down, especially his children. Even worse was the fact that he had been so close. Lord Scrumptious had come around quite well for a while there.

_Mostly thanks to Miss Scrumptious_, the man admitted to himself.

He had been very surprised at her eagerness to help him. Pleasantly surprised. Of course, her motivation had no doubt been to benefit her father's factory, but nevertheless she had been remarkably keen, even getting a little carried away, which was something Caractacus suspected she did not do often. Perhaps she wasn't quite as stuck up as she had first seemed.

Not that any of that mattered, because Toot Sweets were now a thing of the past. Another spark of hope turned to ashes. But while it had lasted…

Caractacus wandered outside, the tired old windmill glowing in the sunset, he leaned on the fence in thought. He knew how much that motorcar meant to the children. He couldn't fail them again, he just couldn't. But where was he to find 30 shillings, by tomorrow morning?

On the hill, the silhouette of a travelling troupe headed towards the fairground…

* * *

She had seen many moments of triumph, but the rusty old motorcar felt prouder than ever as she was towed up the hill to the Potts' farm, Caractacus tooting her horn gleefully. This was her first meeting with Mr. Potts, but he had been very pleased to see her, as she was to see him, and consequently she had already developed a liking for her new owner. The car was even happier to see Jeremy and Jemima come running out, jumping around her in excitement.  
"Isn't she a beauty?"  
"That's a nice pile of junk you've got there, me boy," remarked Grandpa.  
"Well it needs a little work, but there's a _fine_ engine under here."  
_I knew I liked that man_, thought the old motorcar proudly.  
"It doesn't go though, does it?"  
"No, not yet. But it will, it will."  
"You can make it go, can't you Daddy?"  
"Well, gonna give it a try."

The old motorcar could almost feel her motor revving at the thought of actually being driven again. If Mr. Potts actually managed to fix her, it would take a lot of work and it would probably be quite uncomfortable, but she trusted the kind man. She let Mr. Potts open her bonnet wide and settled down patiently while he began to fiddle with her engine.

Sunlight sparkled on a polished bonnet as Mr. Potts finally pushed the vehicle out in the yard. She hadn't felt so well-oiled in years, and she was sure she'd never looked better. She could feel a warm, strong engine inside her, and she could hardly wait to go for a drive—her first in many years.  
The look on the children's faces made her tyres inflate with pride.  
"She's the most beautiful thing I ever saw in my life!"  
The no-longer-old motorcar felt as if she'd like to bounce with the excited family, but being an inanimate object made that rather difficult. Her sparkplugs buzzed in anticipation as Jeremy ran to the workshop to fetch the picnic basket. And when her motor rumbled to life, the engine under her bonnet had never felt warmer. Her motor practically purred as she rolled off down the hill.

"What a funny noise it's making!"  
"It's talking to us. All engines talk."  
"What's it saying?"  
"It's saying…Chitty chitty, chitty chitty, chitty chitty…"  
"Chitty chitty, chitty chitty, chitty chitty…"  
They sounded so funny, the happy motorcar couldn't help but laugh out of her exhaust pipe.  
"Bang bang! Chitty chitty bang bang! Chitty chitty bang bang!"  
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. She liked that name. And she loved this family.

* * *

"Ahh!" Truly screamed as her car veered off into the pond—again.  
"You'll find a light squeeze on the hooter an excellent safety precaution, Miss Scrumptious," Mr. Potts told her, and she rolled her eyes.  
"Never mind about that—how am I supposed to get out of here?"  
"Well, it looks to me as though you'll have to walk. Or swim."

_Argh, that man can be so frustrating!_

"What? In this dress? Oh, don't be ridiculous, Mr. Potts!"  
"Come on."  
Truly gathered up her handbag, not liking this situation very much.  
"Well, w-what are you going to do?"  
"I'm going to carry you."  
"Oh dear, must you?"  
Truly wasn't entirely sure she trusted him not to drop her in the mud. And she didn't feel very comfortable being carried by a male acquaintance, it was a little too much of an intimate physical gesture. All the same, she allowed him to take her in his arms. She was highly relieved when she was on solid ground. Now she could turn her attention to Jemima and Jeremy.

"We're going to the seaside, on a picnic."  
"Come with us, please."  
"Well, I-I'm hardly in the mood for a picnic just now."  
"You needn't worry about your car, I can have Mr. Coggins tow it out."  
Mr. Potts seemed surprisingly keen to humour his children's request.  
"Please come. We've got sausage tarts."  
"And marmalade rolls!"  
Truly looked questioningly to Mr. Potts, who grinned sheepishly.  
"I'm afraid it got a little mixed up."  
The woman couldn't help but laugh. What a funny little family this was. And quite…dear…

* * *

The engine rumbled to life as Truly climbed gracefully aboard. Chitty was pleased to meet Miss Scrumptious; she seemed to be a very likeable young woman. And Chitty now felt that she was carrying just the right passengers; every seat was nicely filled.  
"What an unusual car."  
_Thank you,_ banged Chitty, taking that as a compliment.  
"Daddy made it."  
"Oh? And it actually goes?"

Chitty's engine chuckled. Not only was Miss Scrumptious charming, she had a spark to her too. And there was obviously a teasing rivalry between her and Mr Potts. And perhaps…something more…?

"It's called Chitty Chitty Bang Bang."  
"That's a curious name for a motorcar."  
"But that's the sound it makes—listen!"  
As Truly began to laugh, Chitty's engine purred. She was proud to carry such charming passengers.

* * *

"We're here! Hooray!"  
Chitty's motor had barely stopped when the children leapt out, eager to stretch their little legs. Jeremy grinned. He loved the seaside. He had only been once before, when he was younger.  
"Alright," smiled Caractacus, climbing out of the vehicle and unfastening the basket from the back. "Who wants to help me set up our tent?"  
"I will!" grinned the little boy eagerly, running over to his father.  
"Alright Jeremy, you can give me a hand." 

The two young women were setting out the picnic when Mr. Potts and Jeremy finished. "Mmm, this looks good," smiled Caractacus, rubbing his hands together.  
"Let's eat."  
"But I want to go swimming now!"  
"Yes!"  
"Well," said Truly, "You mustn't go swimming just after you've eaten, so maybe we should enjoy the water now."  
"Good point," nodded Caractacus.  
"Last one to the changing tent's a rotten egg!" yelled Jeremy, and his sister began to chase him across the sand, swimming togs in hand.

"Why don't you get in the water, Truly?" Jeremy was splashing away happily.  
"I haven't brought a swimsuit," the woman replied, holding her skirt carefully above the waves lapping at her feet.  
"But it's so lovely and warm," the little boy grinned, splashing her playfully.  
"Hey!" she giggled, splashing him back with her foot.  
Jeremy laughed, then looked up as his father appeared out of the changing tent. He and his sister roared with laughter as their Daddy played the fool. Truly seemed rather amused too, he noticed.

Jeremy smiled to himself as he dried off in the sun. It was the best day he had had in ages. Daddy was so much fun today; he had put a clump of seaweed on his head and chased them around like a sea monster. And Truly was simply wonderful; laughing and playing with them on the sand. She just seemed like a natural extension of their family. He and Jemima had played hide and seek with her, and found a starfish in one of the rock pools.  
The little boy closed his eyes in relaxation, enjoying the sun on his skin. He opened his eyes when a shadow fell upon him, as Truly sat down next to him.  
"You look comfortable there, Jeremy," the woman smiled. He grinned, nodding, and sat up. "I love the seaside, don't you?"  
"Oh yes," Truly nodded. "It's beautiful. But you know what?"  
"What?"  
"I've never enjoyed it as much as I am today," she smiled, as Jeremy's face brightened a few watts. "It's so much fun with you here."  
Truly smiled back, finding the boy's obvious affection for her very endearing. "It's been fun playing with you. I don't get a chance to play very often." She chuckled to herself at the understatement. "And if I remember rightly…you're it!"  
Jeremy laughed as the woman 'tagged' him and leapt to her feet. He chased her down the beach to where Caractacus and Jemima were building a sandcastle. Soon all four of them were pulled into the fun, racing down the water's edge, their happy laughter mingling in the sea breeze.

* * *

"Come on!"  
"Hey, wait for me!"  
Truly smiled after the two children as they ran off to play. She had no idea how Mr. Potts kept up with them; they were so energetic. She turned her attention across the beach to Chitty, where Mr. Potts' legs were sticking out from under the vehicle.

"Mr. Potts?"  
"Somebody call?"  
The man slid out from under the car, bumping his head in his rush. "Oof!"  
Yesterday Truly would have laughed, but after seeing the sweet way he had played with his children this morning, she couldn't scorn him.  
"Oh, I'm sorry."  
"It's alright," he chuckled, getting to his feet.  
"What are you doing?"  
"Oh, just tinkering."  
"Oh…You know Mr. Potts, you have two wonderful children."  
He looked at her in pleasant surprise. "Why thank you. I must agree with you there."  
Truly cast her gaze across the landscape before her. The sunshine glittering on the waves matched her mood perfectly. What a glorious day, in so many ways.  
"Isn't it beautiful?"  
"Lovely. Just lovely."  
Looking around, she found that he wasn't looking at the sea at all. She couldn't help meeting his smile with one of her own. And she was rather surprised to feel a…a fluttering in her stomach. The moment passed, Caractacus putting away the spanner. He shrugged on a jacket, walking around the motorcar to join her once more, and they strolled across the sand together.

"Mr. Potts—"  
"Caractacus." Seeing her surprise, he chuckled, "Pretty silly name."  
"Oh I don't think so," Truly replied politely, unable to stifle a giggle.  
"You know, I really owe you an apology. You're more than just a father to those two children."  
"Oh yes. Nursemaid, private tutor, chief cook and bottle washer, everything."  
The woman smiled, hoping that underneath his joking he knew she had meant what she said.  
"Except what they really need."  
She looked across at him for a moment, then averted her gaze awkwardly. She didn't know what to say to that. All she knew was that her first impression of this man had been so very wrong.  
"I'm sorry about that day at the factory," said Caractacus, to change the subject and break the silence. A smile lit Truly's face at that, and she shook her head.  
"Don't be. It wasn't your fault, the staff should have been able to keep those dogs out. Besides, those Toot Sweets are wonderful. I'm sure once Father's cooled off a little I could convince him to reconsider."  
The man looked a little embarrassed. "I wouldn't ask you to do that."  
"No, but I want to."  
He raised his eyebrows. "Why?"  
It was Truly's turn to look embarrassed. "Well, I mean, you've invented a fine product, we really ought to market it. Besides—"  
She paused to climb atop a rock, as they reached the rock pools. She teetered off-balance for a moment, then found her arm steadily grasped by a strong hand.  
"You alright?" Caractacus smiled at her as he helped her over the rocks.  
Truly was surprised to find that, although yesterday she would have felt accepting his help demeaning, she didn't at all mind Mr. Potts taking her hand to help her over the rocks. It was rather gentlemanly of him, actually.

Caractacus stopped suddenly, pressing a finger to his lips, and pointed over to a nearby rock, from where Jemima's red swimming togs could just be seen sticking out. The man grinned at his companion, and Truly stifled a giggle at his exaggerated tiptoeing towards where his children were hiding. He peered slowly around the corner of the rock, suddenly jumping upon his children unawares. Jeremy and Jemima squealed and ran away, laughing. "What were you two doing?"  
"We were…um…playing hide and seek?" offered Jeremy, not wanting to admit to their 'peeking'. Truly smiled wryly to herself, fairly sure that the children had actually been listening in on their conversation.  
"Well, we've found you. How about we all go back and tidy up the picnic gear?"

"Jeremy, what are you doing?"  
"I'm keeping a look out for pirates."  
"There aren't any pirates round here, are there Truly?"  
The woman hid a smile as she joined them in the car. There was something about the sea breeze that made light-heartedness contagious. Or perhaps the really contagious thing was the children's smiles.  
"Oh I'm sure there are; hundreds of them."  
"Tell us a story about pirates, Daddy."  
"A story about pirates, huh…"  
Caractacus looked like a contented teenage boy, leaning back in his seat. She smiled at him, suspecting she was about to be pleasantly surprised once more.  
"A boat! I can see a boat!"  
"A boat? Did you say 'a boat'? That isn't just any old boat out there."  
"No?"  
"Zat is ze pirate yacht of ze notorious Baron Bomburst."  
"Baron Bomburst?"  
Truly laughed at the ridiculous name, enjoying the man's animated story-telling almost as much as she was enjoying his children's reactions.  
"You haf never heard of Baron Bomburst, ruler of Vulgaria? Ze most evil man in ze world!"  
"Gosh!"  
"Ja."  
Some irresistible force was tugging the corners of Truly's mouth into a broad smile, and she wasn't sure she could have stopped smiling even if she really wanted to.  
"Und he has sailed all ze way to England, because he has heard tell of a fantastic motorcar, built by that brilliant inventor Caractacus Potts."  
Truly laughed outright. "Hooray!"  
"Yes, hooray! Und he has come to steal ze car und take it back to Vulgaria with him."  
As Mr. Potts impersonated the horrible Baron, she found it difficult not to laugh. He was so animated.  
"He's awful!"  
"He's terrible!"  
"Not only that, he isn't even nice!"  
Truly giggled, and Caractacus flashed her a grin, and she felt once more that rather pleasant fluttering in her stomach. Ignoring it, she turned to the children. It was adorable, the way they got so involved in their father's story. More surprising still, she found herself almost as intrigued as Jeremy and Jemima were.

She simply couldn't stop smiling. And she didn't want to.

* * *

"Disposing of their camoflague, the Vulgarian spies analysed their situation.  
'Now then, vhere are ve?'  
'I have here, a map.'  
'I know vhere ve are, stupid! Ve are in England. And vhen ve are in England, vot do ve do?'  
'Ve play cricket!'  
'Ve play crick—no! Ve dress like Englishmen!' "  
Caractacus slipped out of character for a moment, flashing Truly a grin as she giggled at him. Her laugh was lovely. _She_ was lovely.  
"So the cunning spies emerged from behind the rock in tweed suits, smoking tobacco pipes. They left two holiday-makers in complete bewilderment as they strolled past, attempting a typical English conversation…  
'Remarkable weather we are having for the time of year, do you not think so Cuthbert?'  
'Indubitabably, Basil.' "  
Truly's eyes sparkled as another melodious laugh escaped her lips, and Caractacus was dimly surprised to realise that he was enjoying her reactions to his story almost as much as he was enjoying the children's. The man was fairly sure he wouldn't mind carrying on the story forever, if Miss Scrumptious would just keep laughing and smiling at him like that.

* * *

"Chitty had saved us from Baron Bomburst, for the moment at least, so we drove home through the countryside, stopping to drop Truly off at the Scrumptious Mansion. Jeremy and Jemima were asleep in the backseat. We had all enjoyed our day at the seaside so much that we decided to go for another drive the next day. Waving goodbye to Miss Scrumptious, Chitty took us back to our castle on the hill."

Truly smiled to herself, pleased at his suggestion of another outing. They were such a dear family; and when she was with them, she felt…She felt free. With the Potts family, she didn't have to keep a clockwork routine, and she didn't have to be Miss Scrumptious all the time. Today, she felt like Truly for the first time in years.

Gazing at Mr. Potts, she no longer made any attempt to ignore the way she felt about him.  
_What a lovely, lonely man_.

* * *

Chitty was enjoying this story very much. Not only because of her starring role, but because Mr. Potts' story made it very easy for her to analyse passenger interaction. Clearly Jeremy and Jemima loved their father very much, and thought—knew—he was a genius. Mr. Potts was going to a great deal of effort to entertain and amuse his children, and he clearly delighted in their enthusiasm. But the way father and children felt about each other was very obvious; Chitty was more interested in her two grown-up passengers.

The motorcar had had her suspicions ever since Truly's gentle teasing on the drive; suspicions that had been all but confirmed by Mr. Potts lack of concentration when he had hit his head on her mudguard. Now Chitty was certain there was something going on between them, why else would he make Miss Scrumptious his co-rescuer in the story, and go out of his way to make her laugh? And Truly had been laughing a lot (not that Chitty was complaining, her laugh was very pleasing to the ear).

"As Chitty carried us high over the ocean, night fell, and Jeremy and Jemima dozed off in the back seat."

Chitty had quite an active imagination (for a motor vehicle, at least) and she wished she really was taking her passengers on such an adventure. If the story was real…Jemima's little head would lean on Jeremy's shoulder as they slept, the night breeze gently caressing their faces. Chitty would carry them through a brilliant diamond sky, the moon shining on the ocean below. Caractacus would stay awake, gazing out at the night in thought, until Miss Scrumptious stirred from her slumber. He'd smile, "Hello," and she would ask, "Where are we?"  
"Somewhere over the North Sea, I think."  
"Don't you know where we're going?"  
"No I don't, but Chitty does. I think we're in pretty good hands."  
Truly would smile at that and settle back down in her seat, and they would sit together under the stars all night long. They would have a chance to talk, alone. Perhaps they would even see a shooting star (in Chitty's mind, that would be the height of romance).  
"Did you see that? Just there."  
"Oh! How beautiful! I've never seen a shooting star before."  
"Make a wish," Caractacus would grin, and she would close her eyes, mostly to humour him. But she would make a wish, a wish she would be terribly embarrassed if he could hear.  
"You'd better not tell me what you wished for, or it won't come true. You probably wished you hadn't got involved in all this mess, right?"  
Truly would smile, and shake her head. "No, I didn't wish that at all. I'm glad I'm here; it's quite an adventure."  
"But wouldn't you rather be safe at home?"  
"You'd think so, wouldn't you? But I'd really rather be here with you and the children. This is the most excitement I've had…forever, really…High society life has nothing on this."  
The man would chuckle, and she would continue.  
"Besides, if you can invent a car like this, I'm sure I'm safe with you."  
He would smile at that, quite honoured that she trusted him.  
"Well, I'll try not to let the Baron get you; after all, imagine what your father would do if I didn't bring you back in one piece."  
Truly would smile at that, really knowing that he would never let anything happen to her. "What will your father think, you disappearing on a picnic with a simple inventor?"  
"Oh, he won't mind. Not when I tell him how brave you've been."  
"Brave? Oh, it's nothing."  
"Yes it is. Not every man would go on a chase like this. I'm sure most people would just give up."  
He would grin. "Well, I never give up."  
And Truly would smile, "I thought as much."  
A contented silence would fall between them, gazing up at the star-spangled heavens. Caractacus would grin suddenly. "See that there?"  
"Hmm?"  
"That constellation. It's Pegasus, see?"  
The woman would lean closer, trying to match her line of sight to where he pointed.  
"There's his head, and his front legs, and those three stars there make his body."  
A smile would cross Truly's face as she recognized the constellation, and she would lean back in her seat, smiling across at him. It would take him a moment to notice her gaze.  
"What?"  
"You're just not who I thought you were, that's all."  
Caractacus would fold his arms behind his head, looking interested.  
"Well, I mean, my first impression of you was…you really are a wonderful father, the amount of time you have for your children. And well, you…I didn't think of you as the kind of person to know your constellations."  
"When I was a kid, my Dad and I would go lie on the hay bales at night in the summer, and look up at the stars and talk. He taught me the names of all the constellations, and the stories behind them. I miss that."  
Truly would smile, nodding. "That sounds nice. My father and I never did anything like that; neither did my mother, while she was alive. But I've always loved watching the stars. As a little girl I'd look out my bedroom window before I went to sleep, and wish on a star."  
"The same wish you made just now?" Caractacus would ask, smiling.  
Truly would smile back, a secret smile. "Something similar."

Had she been able to, Chitty would have sighed. If only Mr. Potts' story was real, then he and Miss Scrumptious would be sure to reveal their feelings for each other. But just because the flight over the moonlit ocean was a fantasy didn't mean Chitty was about to give up on them…

* * *

"And Chitty landed bumpily but safely in the village, folding away her colourful wings."  
"Hooray! We made it! He's landed it! Hooray!"  
"Isn't Chitty wonderful?"  
"You're so clever Daddy!"  
"Yes, he certainly is."  
Caractacus looked up in surprise at the woman's comment, and she smiled a little before averting her gaze to the children. Had she just been agreeing with the children, or…?  
"Leaving Chitty under the bridge, we all made our way to the village…"

* * *

" 'Sir, have you come to help us? Have you come to take us out of here?'  
A little Vulgarian boy gazed up at us forlornly.  
'What's your name, son?'  
'Peter, sir.'  
'Well Peter, you should never be afraid, even in a terrible place like this. Because there's always hope. That's what I tell my children, when they're afraid.' "

Jemima had been clutching her brother's hand, worried for the safety of her father and Truly in the dark cave, but then a little smile crossed her face. Daddy was so good to them, whenever they were afraid. He would always sing to them, and tell them how everything was going to be alright. But surely Daddy was afraid sometimes too…

Then Jemima noticed the way Truly was gazing at her Daddy. Oh, how much she wanted them to get married. Everybody needs someone to comfort them, and Daddy didn't have anyone to tuck him in at night and tell him he was loved. If he and Truly got married, Daddy would sing them 'Hushabye Mountain', and when he found he was too sad to sing, Truly would be there to help him along.

"But the old toy maker didn't understand about hope.  
'Is that all the advice you have to offer, my friend?' "

* * *

"The guards opened the box to reveal a beautiful painted doll, standing on a music box."  
"It's Truly, isn't it, Daddy?"  
Caractacus nodded, and Truly blushed at his subtle compliment, not the first that day.  
"The toymaker turned a key on the box, and Truly began to turn around, moving just like a clockwork doll. She began to sing for the Baron."  
_A clockwork doll…_thought Truly.

It was probably mere coincidence, but nevertheless she was very much aware of how similar she was to the doll in the story. He couldn't have known how trapped she felt in her clockwork society routines, or how she yearned for…

She yearned for someone to lift her off the high society pedestal on which she was fixed, turning around and around and around. Years ago now Truly had given up, decided it was better to remain alone than to compromise what she really wanted from life. The idea of stepping down from her pedestal had never occurred to her.

"One present would never be enough for the greedy Baron, so the guards opened the second gift box, inside which was a brightly-dressed clown with a silly grin on his face."  
"It's you, Daddy, it's you!" laughed Jeremy. Truly just smiled.

But then a sweet, clumsy clown had burst into her life, drawing her attention to what lay below her fixed line of sight. He was the last person she would ever have expected to capture her heart, but now…Now she felt certain that a step 'down' off her pedestal would be the biggest step up she'd ever taken. And although it was undoubtedly foolish of her, Truly was beginning to hope that maybe, if she could find the words to tell him…

* * *

"So after that Vulgaria became a free country, and the children laughed and played in the sunshine and they were very very happy."

The story was clearly coming to an end, which made Chitty a little sad, because she had enjoyed the tale so much. But she didn't really mind, because it still had a happy ending, which was the most important thing.

"And Chitty flew high over the mountains back to England, everybody safe and sound, and—"  
"And Daddy and Truly were married!"  
"And lived happily ever after."  
"Yes!"  
Jeremy and Jemima had just given the adults the perfect opportunity to reveal their feelings for one another, and Chitty was sure she was about to short-circuit herself with excitement.  
"Is that how the story ends?"  
Truly glowed in the afternoon sun, hope in her eyes. But Caractacus had frozen up, staring at her like a rabbit caught in the headlights (Chitty could understand the staring, Miss Scrumptious was beautiful, but he didn't seem to be staring at her in quite the right way.)  
"It's getting late, we better get back."  
Chitty's tyres suddenly felt as deflated as Truly looked, and she had a right mind not to start her engine until Mr. Potts got his act together. But that would only make things more awkward. Chitty's motor growled in frustration. _Men, honestly!  
_He'd had the perfect opportunity, and he'd gone and blown it. _Poor Truly…_

The mood on the drive home was so very different from earlier that day, and Chitty's tank felt empty. When she pulled up outside the Scrumptious Mansion, the motorcar had all but given up.  
"Well…"  
"Goodbye Jeremy, goodbye Jemima," Truly smiled, and the two children leapt to their feet. "Goodbye Truly. Will we see you again?"  
"Oh, I expect so." Her smile faded abruptly as she turned to Caractacus. "Goodbye."  
"Goodbye…"  
Chitty clenched her wheel spokes. _Don't just let her go, follow her!  
_"…Truly!"  
The children were just as eager as Chitty, straining to hear as their father ran after Miss Scrumptious.  
"I'm sorry about the children, I hope they didn't embarrass you."  
"In what way?"  
"Why, that silly joke about us getting married. Well, you know what kids are like."  
Truly smiled, averting her gaze. "Oh yes, I understand."  
"I mean, I don't think they understand how ridiculous that would be."  
"Ridiculous?"  
"Well yes, I mean, you live in that big house, and your father and the factory and all, it's a different world, Truly."  
Chitty's exhaust pipe spluttered in disbelief. She didn't think Caractacus could possibly have made it worse.  
"You know, if I said something like that, you'd call me a snob!"  
And Miss Scrumptious stormed off, leaving Caractacus alone in the driveway, gazing after her regretfully. Then he was back in the car again, starting the motor.

"Well, don't you want to ride up front?"  
Chitty's engine sighed as the children hopped into the front seat. It just wasn't right. There shouldn't be an empty seat, and no matter how you shuffled the passengers around, there would always be a Truly-shaped hole where she ought to be.  
"Well, that was fine picnic, wasn't it?"  
_It __was, _thought Chitty to herself. But she couldn't stay angry at Mr. Potts. After all, it was thanks to him she wasn't skwodged up in the fiery furnace. More than anything, she felt sad for him, and for Miss Scrumptious. They were simply meant to be together, and if this was obvious to a motorcar, why on earth couldn't they figure it out?

"Shall we go on another one tomorrow?" Caractacus offered, trying desperately to brighten the mood.  
"With Truly?"  
"Yes!"  
"Well, Miss Scrumptious has a lot of social engagements, you know."  
Jeremy and Jemima turned to look at each other, realizing their father was making excuses. "Are we ever going to see Truly again, Daddy?"  
"Well, we'll see."  
Children and motorcars both know what an adult means when he says 'We'll see.' With a heavy engine, Chitty carried three of her four favourite passengers home to their castle on the hill.

* * *

Truly Scrumptious stared straight ahead as she marched up the mansion's staircase. Now, she had a very busy evening to plan. She had meant to get a birthday gift for Mrs. Squires today, so she'd have to arrange that. Her father had had some new advertisements drawn up for the sweet factory, she should look over those. She'd have to get someone to clean the mud off her car. And then she'd…she'd…  
Oh, she simply had find something to do, or she knew she'd just burst into tears. Looking down at her sand-soiled frock, she decided to change. Putting on a new dress always cheers a girl up.

But even when she emerged from her bedroom in her favourite pink dress with her hair immaculately combed, she still felt…

Truly sat down abruptly on the staircase. Why did she fool herself? It is always foolish to get one's hopes up, especially in an impossible situation. What on earth had made her think there had even been a chance? Maybe it had been the sea breeze, or the children's laughter, or the way Caractacus—Mr. Potts—had kept smiling at her.  
"Oh…dear!"

Just as abruptly as she had sat down, Truly rose to her feet, her head held high to keep in the tears. She had been disappointed before, many times. This shouldn't be any different. She would distract herself as she always did, her daily routines providing structure and purpose. And she would just never wear that white dress again, that was all.

Marching down the hall, Truly nearly bowled over Samson, the butler.  
"Oh, I'm sorry Miss Scrumptious. Can I help you at all?"  
"No thank you, Samson. Would you happen to know where my father is?"  
"I believe he has gone on a business trip, Miss Scrumptious. To visit a Mr…Pott?"  
Something in Truly's stomach exploded. "Mr. Potts? What does Father want with him?" Samson raised his eyebrows at the young woman's urgency and interest.  
"Unless I'm mistaken, Lord Scrumptious wishes to market one of Mr. Pott's products."  
A small, sad smile lit Miss Scrumptious' face. "Thank you, Samson."  
The butler gazed after her curiously as she made her way slowly back up the stairs.

Truly let her hand glide along the polished banister as she went up the stairs. Her face was half-lit with a kind of wistful glow. She was glad to hear of the Potts' good fortune. Heaven knows they deserved it, going without all these years and never giving up. If the Toot Sweets were a success, they could afford to renovate their old house, and get Mr. Potts a real laboratory, and Jemima and Jeremy could have anything they desired. Truly was happy for them.

Feeling another onslaught of tears coming on, she quickened her pace up the staircase, rushing towards her father's study, where she knew the new factory advertisements would be waiting to distract her. She sat down in her father's huge leather armchair. There was a small pile of papers on his desk, posters sketched in coloured pencil. She began to sort through them, placing the ones didn't reach her standards aside. Then her eyes fell upon the final advertisement.

"Woof Sweets. An eatable, tweetable treat for your canine companion."  
Truly smiled, and closed her eyes. Before she could resist, old images began to flicker across her mind's eye…  
"Toot Sweets, Toot Sweets…"

Caractacus spinning her around gleefully as the entire factory fell under a spell…Being carried awkwardly out of that muddy pond…Building sandcastles with Jeremy and Jemima…That conversation on the beach…

Truly Scrumptious blinked. Then she stood up. She had to see them—him. She had to let him know how glad she was for their good fortune, she had to let him know how she felt about him. And if there was the tiniest chance…She was sure a chance at being part of their life would be worth a less-than-graceful tumble from her pedestal. She had never been more sure of anything in her life.

"Samson! I need the car!"

* * *

"Just sign here, please."  
Picking up the pen, the smile on Caractacus' face froze into a stare.  
"Don't go away, I'll be right back!"  
There was no time for a word of explanation, he sprinted out the door and leapt into his motorcar. He was very glad of Chitty's strong motor, as she raced eagerly down the hill. He had to see her. This changed everything.

Well actually, the really important thing was that it didn't change anything. He loved her, he needed to be with her, and it had nothing to do with whether or not he had just made his fortune. He knew how he felt about her, and nothing else mattered. How could he have let a small thing like social status get in the way?

Thoughts rattled round his head as he sped along the road. He had no idea what he was going to say to her. 'Sorry, I was an idiot' might be a good start. But right now the most important thing was to get to the Scrumptious mansion and find her, and…

Chitty's brakes squealed as Miss Scrumptious' yellow motorcar veered off into the now-familiar pond. Caractacus' brain whirred. She had been driving at breakneck speed toward his house…Had she been looking for him too? Oh, even if she hadn't, he was just going to be completely open and let her know that he had. He'd almost lost her once by second-guessing to avoid embarrassment.

"Truly! You'll never believe it!"  
Splashing towards her through the mud, he noticed hopefully that she appeared eager to see him.  
"I just got home and your father was at my house!"  
"I know, I know! They told me at the house!"  
"We're rich!"  
His heart was pounding with a mixture of exhaustion and nervousness. He felt hope rise in his veins as Truly threw her arms in the air, uttering a delighted cry. Caractacus reached out to her, and soon she was lowering herself into his arms. They shared a smile, both realising that no apologies or explanations were necessary.  
"You know, more than that, I have succeeded."  
"I always knew you would."  
Caractacus grinned as he carried her carefully over the muddy water. She fitted perfectly into his arms, and he had every intention of keeping her there, if that was at all possible. And the way she was beaming at him, it seemed rather likely.  
"You know something else? The kids were right; there's nothing so ridiculous about the idea of getting married."  
"Well, whoever said there was?"  
Finally sure his hopes had not been in vain, Caractacus leaned in to do what he'd been longing to all day, closing his eyes as she met him halfway. He pulled back to smile at her.  
"Well, Mr. Potts…"  
The man froze, terrified he had been too forward.  
"…now you'll have to marry me."  
Truly began to giggle at the look on his face, and then he was laughing too as he carried her back to Chitty. He let her go reluctantly and ran around to the driver's seat, unable to wipe the grin from his face.  
"So dreams can come true!"  
Caractacus nodded, still grinning. "Yes they can, yes they can. But you've got to be practical too."  
"What?"  
"A man with responsibilities can't walk around with his head in the clouds all the time. Oh, a man should have his dreams, but a man has to learn to put those dreams to some practical use, instead of just sitting around and thinking about them all the time."

Truly beamed across at—really, he was her fiancé now—as Chitty carried them proudly back to their castle on the hill.  
"I'm so glad Father came to his senses, you really deserve this. I had to see you."  
"Well, I'm glad you came," Caractacus smiled. "And oddly enough, I'm developing a distinct liking for that pond." The woman chuckled, nodding in agreement.  
"Uh, do you think it would be a good idea, since your father is already at my house, to ask him…about you and I?"  
Truly's face brightened even further. "I think that would be a very good idea."

As Chitty pulled up outside the Potts' house, she was met by two excited children rushing out of the door.  
"Daddy's back! And Truly!"  
Caractacus grinned at his children as he gave Miss Scrumptious a hand down from the motorcar. "Hello children," she beamed, gladly accepting their eager hugs.  
"Did you rush off to find Truly, Daddy? Is that where you went?"  
"Well, yes," the man admitted, with a little smile, "And I found her. And now we've got to see her father."  
"Oh Truly, we're going to be rich!" Jeremy informed her happily as they lead her inside by the hands. "Yes, I know. It's wonderful news."  
The woman looked across to her father, with whom Caractacus was signing the Woof Sweets contract. But she was much more interested in another kind of contract.  
"Uh, Lord Scrumptious, there is something that I—Truly and I—would like to ask you."  
The old man sat back in seat, his brow furrowed in curiosity. "Yes?"  
"Well, your daughter and I, we'd…I want to ask you for your daughter's hand in marriage."

The previously silent room was quiet no longer. Grandpa dropped a teacup, shattering it on the floor, but you could scarcely hear the breaking china for Jeremy and Jemima's jubilations.  
"I knew they liked each other!"  
"They're going to get married! Hooray!"

Lord Scrumptious gazed at the scene with raised eyebrows. This request did come as a surprise. But then he looked to his daughter. Truly was laughing delightedly as the children jumped around her in excitement, then she shushed them as she looked to her father. Those dear little eyes of hers had always been able to soften her Daddy's resolve, and now was no different. He could see how much she wanted this. Lord Scrumptious smiled.  
"You have my permission and my blessing."  
The fiancés shared a glowing smile, before Truly ran to kiss her father on the cheek.  
"Oh, thank you Father. Thank you so much."  
"Your daughter will be well taken care of, I promise, sir."  
Lord Scrumptious was about to reply that he had no doubt, when he found two children hugging his arms. "Thank you very much, Lord Scrumptious, sir."  
"Your daughter's just wonderful, we love her!"  
"It's rather hard not to," the old man smiled tenderly, and Caractacus nodded in agreement. Truly was temporarily lost for words, gazing around the room fondly.  
Finding her voice, she took the children by the hands.  
"Come on children, let's leave the gentlemen to their business talks." She beamed over her shoulder at Caractacus as his children pulled her out to their garden.

"Oh Truly, this is just…fantasmagorical!"  
"This must be the best day in the history of everything!"  
The woman laughed delightedly, feeling as though she might agree with them.  
"It certainly is. So, you don't mind me marrying your Daddy?"  
"Mind?! Of course not!"  
"I've always wanted another girl to live with us," said Jemima, gazing fondly up at her. Truly squeezed the little girl's hand, knowing what it was like to grow up without a mother's influence.  
"We've never had a mother before," added Jeremy. "Well, of course we had a mother, but we never knew her. And we've missed her terribly. And I'm sure she'd be glad you were here to look after us."  
The woman found herself blinking away tears as she gazed down at the two children.  
"Well, I'm going to do my very best to keep you both happy, and I know your mother would be very proud of you both." She smiled. "But I think you've forgotten that mothers don't just take you to the beach and kiss you goodnight. They also make you go to bed early, and eat your vegetables, and go to school every day."  
The children grinned, the mood lightening. "Oh, I'm sure we won't mind."  
Truly gazed around their rather ill-kept garden, and noticed a swing.  
"Come on!"  
They all laughed, racing to grab a seat. Truly sat in front of the swings, making a daisy-chain as the children swung above her.

"Would you like another cup of tea, Lord Scrumptious?"  
Caractacus grinned out the kitchen window as he caught sight of the jolly group giving each other piggybacks as they raced across the garden, with Edison yapping at their heels. Noticing how long the man was taking to prepare the tea, Lord Scrumptious realized what was distracting him, and he smiled to himself.  
"Focus, man. Focus."  
Caractacus grinned as he handed the man who was going to be his father-in-law a cup of tea.

Truly was standing in the middle of the garden with a blindfold over her eyes, while the children ran around her laughing. She hadn't played blind-man's-bluff for years.  
"I'm going to get you! _Come along, kiddiewinkies_!"  
"Honestly, Truly," Jemima put her hands on her hips, "You're _far_ too pretty to be the Child Catcher!"

Laughing, Truly ran around the garden, her arms stretched out to grab a passing child. Jeremy looked up as his father came out of the house, and he an Jemima shared a grin as he tiptoed exaggeratedly to his unknowing fiancée. The children couldn't restrain their giggles as he began to walk around behind her, holding his arms up like a monster. Truly had no idea what was so funny.  
"If I'm about to walk into a tree and you don't tell me, I am not going to be pl—"  
She squealed as Caractacus grabbed her around the waist, pulling her into his arms.  
"Caractacus!" she laughed, pulling off the blindfold. He grinned down at her, and the children ran over to join them.  
"Hello Daddy. We've been playing blind-man's-bluff, and hide and seek, and piggyback races, and—"  
"And I think Truly deserves a break," their father smiled down at them, and they reluctantly began to make their way inside. Truly smiled across at her fiancé, taking the arm he offered.  
"You must be exhausted."  
"A little," she nodded, smiling, "but very happy."  
He grinned and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Your father is going to head home soon. Would you like to go with him, or stay for dinner?"  
Truly's eyes sparkled. "Hmmm, let me think about that…"

As the happy couple headed inside for dinner, the setting sun sparkled on Chitty's headlights, and if you looked carefully, you'd be sure you saw her winking.


End file.
